April 27 – In an important case that could potentially have implications for player image rights, a European court has ruled that Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi, can trademark his own name for use on sports and clothing equipment.
April 27 – The Turkish Football Federation have announced that the remainder of the Turkish Cup semifinal, abandoned because of crowd trouble by Fenerbahce fans, will take place on May 3 behind closed doors – but Besiktas say they will refuse to turn up.
April 27 – Premier League Liverpool have announced a youth coaching project in Kunming, the capital city of SW China’s Yunnan province, that will initially provide coaching to a selection of schools.
April 27 – LaLiga has expanded its sponsorship portfolio in Nigeria, a key African market for the English Premier League, with the signing of another regional sponsor, multi-national beverage company AJEAST Nigeria, the makers of Big Cola.
April 27 – UEFA, which has recently unbundled its women’s competition rights from its men’s competitions, has issued a tender for the supply of the Official Match Ball and Lifestyle Partner for the 2018-21 cycle of women’s competitions.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 26 – One of Europe’s most influential voting FIFA nations has warned against Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid being sabotaged amid suspicions that Gianni Infantino may be behind an alleged plot to prevent the north Africans making it on to the ballot paper in June.
April 26 – Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has defended the club’s decision to play two post-season friendlies in Myanmar, saying the decision to play there is about people, not governments.
April 24 – They may have been second to the punch in terms of submitting their bid book to host the 2024 European Championship finals but Turkey hope they will be first when the vote takes place in September.
April 26 – Paris Saint-Germain has introduced Digital Overlay technology at their Parc des Princes stadium allowing localised advertising messages to be broadcast to different geographical markets. It is the first time the system has been used in France.
April 26 – The tripartite North American bid to stage the 2026 World Cup has received a significant boost with a strong endorsement in Washington from the House of Representatives, the clearest indication yet of political backing for the bid.
April 26 – A petition calling for English Premier League and Championship clubs to be allowed to have limited standing areas at their stadiums has been signed by 100,000 people, the threshold that means it will now be considered for debate by parliamentarians.
April 24 – In a major geo-political snub to neighbouring Russia, Ukraine’s football federation (FFU) has announced it is boycotting the FIFA Congress in Moscow in June.
April 26 – FIFA has expanded its digital media footprint in China with the launch of an official FIFA WeChat account and a microsite in Mandarin, FIFAofficial.cn, in advance of its showpiece World Cup in Russia.
By Andrew Warshaw
April 25 – Fresh suspicions that FIFA president Gianni Infantino may be behind an alleged plot to exclude Morocco from the 2026 World Cup vote have provoked a furious response from the North African underdogs as tensions escalate ahead of the ballot in June.
April 25 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has reiterated its support for Palestinian football during a visit by AFC president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa to the country.